Workplaces urged to adopt Health and Safety guidelines

Jul 24, 2020 News

– as COVID-19 cases climb to 531

As local COVID-19 cases climbed to 531 yesterday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle, said that the Public Health Ministry is urging employers to implement measures to aid efforts to combat the disease.
In this regard, Dr. Gordon-Boyle said that the Ministry is calling on employers to adopt guidelines from the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1997, Chapter 99.06.
The DCMO spoke on several of the guidelines during her presentation of the Ministry’s daily COVID-19 update yesterday.
She said that as the Ministry continues with its phased reopening of the country, employers are asked to erect plexiglass or other transparent barriers between staff area and the public. The Ministry has also asked that there be clear markings showing six feet distancing on floors or walls to ensure that customers adhere to social distancing. It is also required that all office spaces be rearranged to facilitate the six -foot distancing as well.
Meanwhile, the Ministry is encouraging the use of technology and applications such as zoom to communicate within the workplace, especially for large meetings.
Stressing that the congregating of employees should be discouraged, the DCMO proposed a plan to stagger lunch periods and other breaks.
Additionally, employers are asked to only allow persons wearing masks to enter their buildings, said the DCMO. She also spoke of the importance of temperature checking using laser thermometer at the entrances of workplaces, in both the public and private sectors, and mentioned the need for hygiene blocks comprising sinks with running water and liquid soap or hand sanitizing stations. According to the DCMO, too, it is required that employers decide on a policy which sees them referring persons with high temperatures to medical officials for further investigation or sent home and advised to seek medical attention.
As it relates to transportation, employees are asked to use private transportation whenever possible, while employers are asked to facilitate transportation of employees to and from work when possible to reduce the probability of their exposure.
Currently there are 156 persons in institutional isolation and 33 in institutional quarantine. Two persons are also in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit (ICU). To date, 176 persons have recovered while the COVID related deaths remain at 19.

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